Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Dreal's Farm, Elham (field to northeast of): surface-finds of at least two Palaeolithic handaxes, one of them bout coupé

Monument Types

• FINDSPOT (Lower Palaeolithic to Middle Palaeolithic - 500000 BC to 40001 BC)

Associated Finds

• HANDAXE (Lower Palaeolithic to Middle Palaeolithic - 500000 BC? to 40001 BC?)
• HANDAXE (Middle Palaeolithic - 150000 BC to 40001 BC)

Full description

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[TR 19804488]. Acheulian type handaxe of black flint with light grey patina found at Dreal's Farm, Elham. Find spot in field west of road and north of Dreal's Farmhouse pointed out by finder. [Jenkins' map reference TR 198448 falls to east of road]. (1)

The findspot was indicated by Mr K.R Beeching at TR 1970 4472: the axe was found after ploughing. Now in Royal Museum Canterbury Acc No. 8/1962/RM 8350. (2)

Dreal's Farm, Elham (field to northeast of): surface-finds of at least two Palaeolithic handaxes, one of them bout coupé (Canterbury RM, Acc 8388). Recorded by Roe in the 1960s in Canterbury Museum (4), then more details in other publications by Roe (5) and Tyldesley (6), and then listed in the Southern Rivers Project in the 1990s (7). Bout coupé is in fresh condition and has more-developed mottled patina on one face, and is listed in Canterbury Museum collection in 2012, RM Acc 8388 (8), but the other handaxe (RM Acc 8350) was stolen from display in October 1962 (info from Canterbury Museum, October 2022).

<1> Jenkins, F., 1959, Letter (F Jenkins) 18-OCT-1959, Letter (F Jenkins) 18.10.59 (Unpublished document). SKE7949.

<2> F1 ASP 09-MAY-63 (OS Card Reference). SKE42019.

<3> Phillips, A., 1963, Field report for monument TR 14 SE 14 - May, 1963 (Unpublished document). SKE5415.

<4> Roe, D.A., 1968, Gazetteer of British Lower and Middle Palaeolithic Sites, p 151 (Monograph). SWX6570.

<5> Roe DA, 1981, The Lower and Middle Palaeolithic Periods in Britain, p259 (Monograph). SKE29687.

<6> Tyldesley JA, 1987, The Bout Coupé Handaxe: a Typological Problem. British Series 170. BAR, Oxford., pp70-71 (no. 48) (Bibliographic reference). SKE29688.

<7> Wessex Archaeology, 1993, The Southern Rivers Palaeolithic Project, Report No.2: The South West and South of the Thames [Vol. I - text], p143, S5.1 (Monograph). SWX6569.

<8> Canterbury City Council, 2012, Index of artefacts held in Canterbury City Council museums (Index). SKE29914.

Sources and further reading